Data communication systems with forward error correction

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention include an apparatus that receives date from multiple lanes, which are then aligned and synchronized for transcoding and encoding.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/986,085 filed May 22, 2018, which is acontinuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/405,020 filed Jan. 12, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,009,200 issued Jun.26, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/304,635 filed Jun. 13, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,564,990 issued Feb.7, 2017, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/885,985, filed Oct. 2, 2013, which are incorporated by referenceherein for all purposes.

This patent application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/791,201, filed Mar. 8, 2013, and now granted as U.S. Pat. No.9,020,346, issued Apr. 28, 2015, which claims priority from U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/714,543, filed Oct. 16, 2012, andU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/699,724, all of which areincorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to data communication systems andmethods.

Over the last few decades, the use of communication networks exploded.In the early days Internet, popular applications were limited to emails,bulletin board, and mostly informational and text-based web pagesurfing, and the amount of data transferred was usually relativelysmall. Today, Internet and mobile applications demand a huge amount ofbandwidth for transferring photo, video, music, and other multimediafiles. For example, a social network like Facebook processes more than500 TB of data daily. With such high demands on data and data transfer,existing data communication systems need to be improved to address theseneeds.

Over the past, there have been many types of communication systems andmethods. Unfortunately, they have been inadequate for variousapplications. Therefore, improved communication systems and methods aredesired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to data communication systems andmethods. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention providean apparatus that receives data from multiple lanes, which are thensynchronized for transcoding and encoding. There are other embodimentsas well.

According to an embodiment, the present invention provides an apparatusfor encoding and decoding 25 Gigabit (25G), 40 Gigabit (40G), 50 Gigabit(50G), or 100 Gigabit (100G) signals in a communication network. Theapparatus includes a plurality of lanes configured for 25G, 40G, or100G. The apparatus includes a pseudo random bit sequence checkercoupled to each of the plurality of lanes, which is configured to afirst clock signal A. Additionally, the apparatus includes a pluralityof skew compensator modules. Each of the skew compensator modules iscoupled to at least one of the plurality of lanes. The skew-compensatormodules are configured to synchronize data from the plurality of lanes.The apparatus additionally includes a plurality of de-skew FIFO modules.Each of the de-skew compensator modules is coupled to at least one ofthe plurality of skew compensator modules.

A first bus is coupled to an output of each of the de-skew compensatormodules. A clock rate converter device is coupled to the output of firstbus, and is configured to a second clock signal B. A second bus coupledto the output of the clock rate converter module. According to anembodiment, the operation of the de-skew compensator modules and thede-skew FIFO modules are controlled by a control module. For example,the control modules comprises state machines for the de-skew compensatormodules and the de-skew FIFO modules.

The apparatus additionally includes a transcoder module coupled to anoutput of the second bus, and is configured to a third clock rate C. Athird bus is coupled to an output of the transcoder module. Theapparatus includes a forward error correction encoder module coupled toan output of the third bus, and is configured to the third clock signalC. A plurality of bus lanes is coupled to an output of the FEC encodermodule. A pre-coder module is coupled to the plurality of bus lanes fromthe FEC encoder module. A plurality of gear box modules is coupled tothe plurality of bus lanes. Each of the plurality of gear box modules iscoupled to a pattern generator module. A first MUX device is coupled toa first output of a first gear box module out of a plurality of gear boxmodules. A second MUX device is coupled to a second output of the secondgear box module out of the plurality of gear box modules. A first graymapping PAM encoding module is coupled to an output of the first MUXdevice. A second gray mapping PAM encoding module is coupled to anoutput of the second MUX device.

There are other embodiments as well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating a communication apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating a protocol lock module.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram illustrating block lockingmechanism according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating operation of blocklocking operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is simplified diagram illustrating a virtual lane lock mechanismaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram illustrating alignment marker detectionprocess according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an alignment Muxaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8A is a simplified flow diagram illustrating the de-skew statemachine.

FIG. 8B is a simplified flow diagram illustrating the BER operation.

FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a trancoder accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10-15 are simplified diagram illustrating mapping alignmentmarkers.

FIG. 16 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an FEC encoder withthe gearboxes according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a simplified diagram illustrating a pattern generatoraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a simplified diagram illustrating a MIDO device.

FIG. 19 is a simplified diagram illustrating operation of a MIDOcontroller according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 20 and 21 are simplified diagram illustrating I2C write and readsequences according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a simplified diagram illustrating registers used between TxIP block and external register block according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to data communication system andmethods. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention providean apparatus that receives date from multiple lanes, which are thensynchronized for transcoding and encoding. There are other embodimentsas well.

The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skillin the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in thecontext of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as avariety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein maybe applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present inventionis not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the presentinvention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limitedto these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in orderto avoid obscuring the present invention.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which arefiled concurrently with this specification and which are open to publicinspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papersand documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the featuresdisclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims,abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features servingthe same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly statedotherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each featuredisclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent orsimilar features.

Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state“means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing aspecific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step”clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. Inparticular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the Claims herein is notintended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.

Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom,forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used forconvenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particularfixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locationsand/or directions between various portions of an object.

In various embodiments, the present invention provides a system for datacommunication at high speed. For example, the system can include a40G/100G PAM Tx device, which is configured as a transmit IP. In variousembodiments, the device is implemented with a CAUI-Rx (e.g., receivingcommunication interface) on the host side and Mach Zehnder Driver on theline side, 40G/100G PAM systems according to embodiments of the presentinvention provide a transmit solution that addresses both 40G and 100Grates for optical communication applications. In some specificembodiments, 40G PAM4 for SMF cabling, 100G PAM4 for SMF cabling, andother types of applications are supported.

In certain implementations, the following features are provided:

-   -   Line-side interface operating at        -   22.5 Gbps using PAM4 signaling for a 40Ge application or        -   28.125 Gbps using PAM4 signaling for a 100Ge application    -   Host-side interface operating at        -   4×10.3125 Gbps for a 40Ge application or        -   2×20.625 Gbps for a 40Ge application or        -   4×25.78125 Gbps for a 100Ge application    -   Protocol Locking        -   Block Lock (64b/66b Sync Acquisition)        -   Virtual Lane Lock (Alignment Marker Locking)    -   Data Alignment and Deskew FIFO    -   PCS Lane Re-ordering (Alignment Mux)    -   64b/66b (code-word) to 256b/257b Transcoder    -   BER Monitor    -   BIP Checking    -   BCH Encoder for 1e−15 output BER    -   PRB S Generation supporting PRB S-7,9,11,13,15,23,31    -   PRB S Verifiers with “Auto-PRBS lock”    -   Square wave and Custom Pattern Generation    -   Error Injection, Polarity inversion, Tx disable and Bit Swap    -   MDIO and I2C interface

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating a communication apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. This diagram ismerely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of theclaims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize manyvariations, alternatives, and modifications. For example, thecommunication apparatus 100 may additionally include precoder module. Invarious embodiments, the communication apparatus is capable ofmultispeed PAM4 operation supporting 25G, 40G, and 100G MAC. Forexample, the port (e.g., input lines) speed can be based onsignal-to-noise (SNR) ratio measured by the apparatus. In variousembodiments, SNR is monitored to ensure high performance. Depending onthe implementation, different scales of optical and electricalinterfaces can be utilized. For example, adaptive physical layer (PHY)can be used for link SNR monitoring to achieve the highest throughputpossible for a given communication link. In various embodiments,universal physical layer, such as single-mode (SMF) and multimode (MMF)optical fibers can be supported. In addition, amplifier control foroptical communication, such as transimpedance amplifier (TIA) control,can be integrated as a part of the digital signal processing (DSP)performed. In certain embodiments, the communication apparatus 100 canprovide mechanics of aligning dual channels when BCH type forward errorcorrection (FEC) is striped across dual lambdas for lower latency.

The communication apparatus 100 is configured to, among other things,encoding and decoding 40G, 50G, and/or 100G signals in a communicationnetwork. The communication device 100 has a plurality of input lines(e.g., including input line 120) for receiving data, which are to beprocessed. For example, the incoming data as shown can be 16b, 32b, or40b wide, and they are processed by the virtual lane lock modules thatperform BIP check. In certain embodiments, the input lines as shown canhave different formats. For example, the lines are configured for 25G,40G, and/or 100G. It is to be understood that other bandwidths andformats are possible as well.

The pseudo random bit sequence (PRBS) checker 101 is coupled to each ofthe plurality of lanes. The PRBS checker 101 is configured to use afirst clock signal A as shown. For example, the PRBS checker isconfigured to check the following test patterns: PRBS-9, 7, 11, 13, 15,23, and 31. In various embodiments, the PRBS checker 101 supports“Auto-PRBS lock” that allows for detecting reception of any supportedPRBS.

Since data coming in from the input lines can have different data rates,skew compensation is provided to achieve block synchronization. Forexample, skew compensation can be achieved by a plurality of skewcompensator modules, or virtual lane locks that perform BIP check. Thevirtual lane locks (e.g., including virtual lane lock 102) provideprotocol locking, which is used to achieve block synchronization (blocklocking) and virtual lane lock, and to write the code-word to thealignment and deskew FIFO for the following types of frame. For example,for 40GBase-R that uses 64b/66b encoding, four block synchronizationmodules are provided. Other considerations are possible, such as 4×10Gor 2×20G. For 100GBase-R that also uses 64b/66b encoding, twenty blocksynchronization modules are used. For example, various implementationsmay support one of the five modes (4×10Ge, 2×20Ge, 100Ge, OTL3.4 orOTL4.4) at a time and the mode is configurable via MDIO.

FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating a protocol locking module(or referred to as skew compensation module). This diagram is merely anexample, which should not unduly limit the scope of the claims. One ofordinary skill in the art would recognize many variations, alternatives,and modifications. Depending on the mode of operation, the incoming data201 can be 16b, 32b or 40b wide. An input MUX selector 202 routes theappropriate bits to the block lock Finite State Machine (FSM) 203. Blocklock FSM 203 is connected to deskew module 204, which is connected tothe align mux module 205. For example, in the 4×10G mode, only one ofthe Block Lock FSM is enabled (e.g., 203 a); in 2×20G mode two of theBlock Lock FSM's are enabled (e.g., 203 a and 203 b); and in 1×100Gmode, all five (e.g., 203 a-203 d) of the Block Lock FSM's are enabled.FIG. 2 shows the details for one lane of the rx_data. Since four lanesare provided as shown in FIG. 1, the Protocol Lock Block 202 shown inFIG. 2 is replicated four times. Note that for 2×20G mode, only thefirst two Block Locks from the first two Protocol Lock Blocks areenabled. FIG. 2 further illustrates a plurality of flip flops 210, aplurality of multiplexers 220, a plurality of deskew circuits 230, aplurality of block circuits 240, a plurality of inverters 250, aplurality of FIFO circuits 260, and a plurality of protocol lock &deskew circuits.

In the 40G or 100G Ethernet mode, the Block Lock FSM 203 looks for 64consecutive sync headers to declare a block lock. For example, a validsync header is either ′b10 or ′b01. Once block lock is achieved, ittakes a count of 65 invalid sync headers in a 1024 sync window todeclare a loss of block lock. To reduce switching power, a configurablemode is provided, where the search of valid sync headers is disabledonce in the lock state, and enabled once an invalid sync header isobserved.

For used in communication system, the block lock device complies withvarious communication standards. In an implementation, the block lockstate machine adheres to Clause 82 of IEEE 802.3, FIG. 82-10 of IEEE802.3-2012. For example, the receive clocks (rx_clk [3:0]) from alllines needs to be frequency locked with transmit clock (clk_b), andthere cannot be a ppm offset between them. The internals of the BlockLock FSM, Virtual Lane Lock FSM and Frame Alignment Signal Lock (used byOTL3.4 and OTL4.4) are shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a simplified blockdiagram illustrating block locking mechanism according to embodiments ofthe present invention. This diagram is merely an example, which shouldnot unduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in theart would recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications.For example, the block locking mechanism in FIG. 3 corresponds to lockblock 202 in FIG. 2. Incoming data rx_data 301 is coupled to muxselectors (e.g., mux 303, mux 305, etc.), which are coupled to block 302as shown. FIG. 3 further illustrates a plurality of flip flops 310, aplurality of multiplexers 320, block circuits 340 and 350, and an XORgate 370. The operation of the block locking mechanism is illustrated inFIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating operation ofblock locking operation according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. This diagram is merely an example, which should not undulylimit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in the art wouldrecognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications. For example,various steps may be added, removed, repeated, rearranged, modified,and/or overlapped. Functional blocks in FIG. 4 are listed in Table 1below:

TABLE 1 Block Lock FSM Description State Description LOCK_INIT This isthe default state of the Block lock FSM. State is entered on reset.RESET_CNT Reset both the valid and invalid sync header counts. The nextstate is TEST_SH, when the timer to look for sync header expires, whichis indicated by test_sh and block is not locked. If the block is lockedthe next state is TEST_SH2. TEST_SH Check if the Sync header is valid ornot. If valid, then go to VALID_SH else go to SLIP. TEST_SH2 Check ifthe Sync header is valid or not. If valid, then go to VALID_SH2 else goto INVALID_SH. VALID_SH Increment the Valid Sync header count by 1,which is indicated by sh_cnt. If the sh_cnt is 64, then go to 64_GOODstate, else if sh_cnt is less than 64 and test_sh is true, then go toTEST_SH. 64_GOOD Assert block_lock to be true. Next state is RESET_CNTVALID_SH2 Increment Valid Sync header counter by 1, which is indicatedby sh_cnt. If sh_cnt is 1024, then go to RESET_CNT, else if sh_cnt isless than 1024 and test_sh is true then go to TEST_SH2. INVALID_SHIncrement the sh_cnt and sh_inv_cnt. If sh_cnt is 1024 and sh_inv_cnt isless than 65, then go to RESET_CNT, else if sh_inv_cnt is 65, then go toSLIP, else if test_sh is true and sh_cnt is less than 1024 andsh_inv_cnt is less than 65, then go to TEST_SH. SLIP Assert block_lockto be false. Next state is RESET_CNT

In addition to performing block lock, virtual lane lock can also beperformed. More specifically, once block lock is achieved, the virtuallane lock FSM begins obtaining alignment marker lock to align datasignal received from the four input lanes. In a specific implementation,the alignment marker is configured to be detected every 16383 code words(66b) on each Virtual Lane. Writing operation is performed to DeskewFIFO (e.g., block 103 in FIG. 1) for each virtual lane starting withsecond marker that matches the previous marker. For example, TheAlignment Marker (Virtual Lane Lock) state machine as implemented usesthe values from Table 82-2 from the 100GBASE-R Alignment markerencoding, or Table 82-3 from the 40GBASE-R alignment marker encoding.FIG. 5 is simplified diagram illustrating a virtual lane lock mechanismaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. This diagram ismerely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of theclaims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize manyvariations, alternatives, and modifications. The virtual lane lock FSMis shown FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram illustrating alignment marker detectionprocess according to an embodiment of the present invention. Thisdiagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope ofthe claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize manyvariations, alternatives, and modifications. Among other features, codewords are matched with expected marker. The states of the AlignmentMarker Detection FSM are described in Table 2 below:

TABLE 2 Alignment Marker Detection FSM Description State DescriptionVL_RST Initialize Virtual Line Valid variable (vl_valid) to zero andload Current Virtual Line variable (current_vl) with Virtual ID (vl_id)variable. Virtual ID variable is initialized to “31” by reset, unlockedblock or loosing Virtual Line locking. FSM remains on this state untiltest_sh and vl_req are asserted. Test_sh is asserted by Block Lock FSMand vl_req (Virtual Line Request) is asserted by Virtual Lane Lock FSM.VL_M0 Once the block lock is achieved and Virtual Line Lock FSM requestsfinding the next marker, then M0 match is searched for 40Ge or M0 and M1match for 100Ge. If m0_match for 40Ge, then go to VL_M1, else if M0 andM1_match for 100G2, then go to VL_M2, else go to VL_FAIL. VL_M1 Look fora M1 match. If m1_match, then go to VL_M2, else go to VL_FAIL. It is notpossible to make it to this state for 100Ge mode. VL_M2 Look for a M2match. If m2_match, then for 40Ge go to VL_B3 or go to VL_M4 for 100Ge,else go to VL_FAIL. VL_B3 Transition to VL_M4 state. It is not possibleto make it to this state for 100Ge mode. VL_M4 Look for an m4_match for40Ge or m4m5_match for 100Ge. If m4_match, then go to VL_M5, else ifm4m5_match, then go to VL_M6, else go to VL_FAIL. VL_M5 Look for a M5match. If m5_match, then go to VL_M6, else go to VL_FAIL. VL_M6 Look fora M6 match. If m6_match, then go to VL_SLOT, else go to VL_FAIL. VL_SLOTSet vl_valid to 1 and go to VL_RST. VL_FAIL Set vl_valid to 0 and go toVL_RST state.

Now referring back to FIG. 1. As explained above, once the lanes aresynchronized, de-skewing is performed. For example, de-skewing isperformed by a plurality of de-skewing FIFO modules (e.g., block 103).The deskew FIFO modules are needed to account for the skew and skewvariations across the physical lanes in 40G mode and virtual andphysical lanes in 100G mode. Additionally, the FIFO accounts for thephase differences between the Rx clock from CAUI-RX and Tx clock. Forexample, the de-skew FIFO modules are implemented in accordance tocommunication standard(s), such as the IEEE 802.3ba-2012 standard, wherethe maximum skew and skew variation from Table 80-4 ‘Summary of skewconstraints’ and Table 80-5 ‘Summary of skew variation constraints’ atthe Tx PMD interface is described under Table 3 below:

TABLE 3 Skew Constraints Summary of Skew Constraints Max skew for Maxskew for Skew Points Max Skew(ns) 40GBase-R(UI) 100GBase-R(UI) SP2 43≈443 ≈222 Summary of Skew Variation constraints Max Skew Max skewvariation Max skew for Skew Points Variation(ns) for 10.3125GBd(UI)25.78125GBd(UI) SP2 0.4 ≈4 ≈10

The determination of the FIFO depth in the 4×10G and 2×20G mode is asfollows:

-   -   Max skew is 443 UI and Max skew variation is ±4 UI    -   Sum of all differences is 443+4+66 (sync clk+read)=513 UI

For example, the FIFO operates on 66b word, and so the depth of the FIFOis 8 (513/66=7.78) per lane.

The determination of the FIFO depth in the 4×25G mode is as follows:

-   -   Max skew is 222 UI and Max skew variation is ±10 UI    -   Sum of all differences is 222+10+66*2 (sync clk+read 264b)=364        UI

The FIFO operates on 66b word, and so the depth of the FIFO is be 6(364/66=5.51) per lane.

In a 4×10G mode, each lane has an 8-deep, 66b wide FIFO. In a 2×20Gmode, given only two lanes, each lane will have 8-deep, 66b wide FIFO.In a 4×25G mode, each lane will have 5 6-deep, 66b wide FIFO. Combiningthe FIFO's for the above modes, of the 5 virtual lanes, VL0 and VL1 willhave 8-deep, while VL2, VL3 and VL4 will have 6-deep each.

The wr_addr starts incrementing once both the block lock and virtuallane lock are true. The rd_addr increments is controlled through thede-skew state machine and is common to all the FIFO's lanes. The firstcode word from all FIFO's is the Alignment Marker.

For the alignment and de-skew functions to work, they are by one or morecontrol module (e.g., control module 104 shown in FIG. 1). The alignmentMux in block 104 re-orders the Virtual Lines from deskew FIFO's to beforwarded sequentially to the transcoder module 105. For example, afterall Virtual Lines are locked, the Alignment Mux re-orders virtual linesfrom 0 to 19. The virtual lane ID's are used to re-order VL's fromarbitrary Tx slots into correct VL order. FIG. 7 is a simplified blockdiagram illustrating an alignment Mux according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. This diagram is merely an example, which should notunduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in the artwould recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications. Module701 provides deskew control, align mux control, BER monitor, and BIPchecking. Module 701 receives vl_lock and vl_ld as input. Outputsinclude deskew_rstn, rd_addr, all_block, block_lock, hi_ber, ber_count,bip_count, lane_map, vls_lock, cw_valid, and am valid as shown. FIG. 7further illustrates a plurality of flip flops 710, a plurality ofmultiplexers 720, one or more multiplexers 725, and a block circuit 750.

For 4×10G configuration, only one virtual line from each channel(physical line) is staged every four clock cycles. All four code wordsfrom all channels are available to the transcode module at the sametime. For 2×20G configuration, the first two channels have two virtuallanes available from each channel to be forwarded to the transcodemodule. The alignment mux stages all four virtual lanes at the sametime. All four code words are available at the same time for transcodemodule, which is the same as 4×10G.

For 4×25G configuration, the Alignment Mux forwards four code words at atime from the deskew FIFO's to the Transcode module. The Alignment Muxforwards all 20 Virtual Lanes to the Transcode module after five cycles.The transcode module processes all four code words every cycle.

As a part of the control module 104, the de-skew control provides ade-skew state machine that is triggered once the alignment lock isachieved on all lanes. It remains in the de-skew “done” state untileither a loss of alignment lock or re-acquire lock is triggered. FIG. 8Ais a simplified flow diagram illustrating the de-skew state machine.This diagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit thescope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognizemany variations, alternatives, and modifications. As an example, thede-skew states are provided below in Table 4:

TABLE 4 Deskew FSM Description State Description DS_RESET This is thedefault state of the Deskew FSM. State is entered on reset. Transitionto DS_DONE occurs once AM lock is achieved, indicated by vls_validDS_DONE This is the Deskew done state and once AM lock is set, the FSMremains in this state. Loss of AM lock will transition to DS_RESTARTstate. The rd_addr to the FIFO is incremented in this state. DS_RESTART,Deskew restart state. The FIFO write and read pointers are reset. DS_D1,DS_D2, DS_D3

The control module 104 further comprises a BER monitor, as shown. TheBER Monitor monitors the aggregated signal from all virtual lines. In anembodiment, the high BER is flagged when 97 invalid 66b sync header aredetected within 500 us (xus_timer) for 100G or 1.25 ms (xus_timer) for40G. The high BER flag is cleared when there are less than 97 invalidheaders within specified time. FIG. 8B is a simplified flow diagramillustrating the BER operation. This diagram is merely an example, whichshould not unduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skillin the art would recognize many variations, alternatives, andmodifications.

In various embodiments, protocol lock module has an interface that isdescribed in Table 5 below:

TABLE 5 Protocol Lock Interface Description Signal Name Direction WidthReference Clock Description Datapath interface rx_clk Input 4 Receiveclock from CAUI-Rx lane 0 to 3. Note that there 4 receive clocks, eachclock is used by one instance of the Protocol Lock module rx_data Input4 × 40 rx_clk[3:0] Receive data from CAUI-Rx lane 0 to 3 rx_mode Input 3Register clock Rx Mode: 000 - 4 × 10G Mode 001 - 2 × 20G Mode 010 - 4 ×25G Mode 100 - OTL3.4 110 - OTL4.4 blk_lock Output 20  rx_clk[3:0] Blocklocked status for each lane. There are 4 Protocol Lock instances andeach Protocol Lock instance drives 5 ports, each port is 1b. vl_lockOutput 20  rx_clk[3:0] Virtual lane lock status, each Protocol Lockinstance drives 5 ports. Same as blk_lock. vl_id Output 4 × 5 × 5rx_clk[3:0] Virtual lane ID [4:0]. There are 4 channels and each channeldrives five ID, each ID is 5b wide. vl_write Output 20  rx_clk[3:0]Virtual lane write, used by Deskew FIFO. Five ports for each ProtocolLock instance. cw_write Output 20  rx_clk[3:0] algn_data Output 264 tx_clk_b [263:0] used by 4 × 25G mode [65:0] used by 40G modealgn_block_lock Output 20  rx_clk_625m_x Block lock status for each lanealgn_am_lock Output 1 rx_clk_625m_x AM lock status algn_am_valid Output1 rx_clk_625m_x AM Valid marker, which signifies the output data carriesthe Alignment marker on the cycle. tcode_req Input 1 tx_clk_625m Requestread operation from Transcode Test Interface tx_scan_mode Input 1 Testclock Scan mode tx_scan_in Input X Test clock Scan in tx_scan_en Input 1Test clock Scan enable algn_scan_out Output X Test clock Scan outClock/Reset interface rx_clk_625m_0 Input 1 Rx clock of lane 0rx_clk_625m_1 Input 1 Rx clock of lane 1 rx_clk_625m_2 Input 1 Rx clockof lane 2 rx_clk_625m_3 Input 1 Rx clock of lane 3 tx_clk_625m Input 1Tx clock, to be used for 40G tx_clk_390m Input 1 Tx clock, to be usedfor 100G rx_reset_clk625m_0_n Input 1 rx_clk_625m_0 Active low resetsynchronized to rx_clk_625m_0 rx_reset_clk625m_1_n Input 1 rx_clk_625m_1Active low reset synchronized to rx_clk_625m_1 rx_reset_clk625m_2_nInput 1 rx_clk_625m_2 Active low reset synchronized to rx_clk_625m_2rx_reset_clk625m_3_n Input 1 rx_clk_625m_3 Active low reset synchronizedto rx_clk_625m_3 tx_reset_clk625m_n Input 1 tx_clk_625m Active low resetsynchronized to tx_clk_625m tx_reset_clk390m_n Input 1 tx_clk_390mActive low reset synchronized to tx_clk_390m

Now referring back to FIG. 1. After alignment is performed, the receiveddata are transcoded, by transcoder module 105. FIG. 9 is a simplifiedblock diagram illustrating a transcoder according to an embodiment ofthe present invention, including multiplexor/demultiplexor block 902 andflip-flop 904. This diagram is merely an example, which should notunduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in the artwould recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications. Thetranscoder module 104 in FIG. 1 performs the 64/66 to 256/257bconversion in both 40G-PAM4 and 100G-PAM8 applications. The module takesin 264b input every cycle for 100G and it takes 264b input every fourcycles for 40G mode. The module concatenates four consecutive 66b wordsto form a single 264b word to be transcoded in the 40G mode. Forexample, transcoder in FIG. 9 includes, among other features, a modeselector that receives an rx mode input. The data align data isprocessed by transcode bock 902 and then scramble block 903. FIG. 9further illustrates a plurality of flip flops 910 and a plurality ofmultiplexers 920.

In order to describe the transcoding, the 264b word is split into four66b words, marked as align_data[3:0][65:0]. The rules for transcodingare described as follows.

-   -   All data blocks        -   tx_xcoded[0]=1;        -   tx_xcoded[256:1]={align_data[3][65:2],align_data[2][65:2],align_data[1][65:2],align_data[0][65:2]};    -   Valid control blocks with and without data blocks

Case 1: CDDD, Control followed by 3 data or CCCC, All control

-   -   tx_xcoded[0]=0;    -   tx_xcoded[4:1]={align_data[3][1],align_data[2][1],align_data[1][1],align_data[0][1]};    -   tx_xcoded[256:5]        -   {align_data[3][65:2],align_data[2][65:2],align_data[1][65:2],align_data[0][65:10],align_data[0][6:2]};

Case 2: DCDD, Data followed by Control followed by 2 data

-   -   tx_xcoded[0]=0;    -   tx_xcoded[4:1]={align_data[3][1],align_data[2][1],align_data[1][1],align_data[0][1]};    -   tx_xcoded[256:5]        -   {align_data[3][65:2],align_data[2][65:2],align_data[1][65:10],align_data[1][6:2],align_data[0][65:2]};

Case 3: DDCD, 2 Data followed by Control followed by 1 data

-   -   tx_xcoded[0]=0;    -   tx_xcoded[4:1]={align_data[3][1],align_data[2][1],align_data[1][1],align_data[0][1]};    -   tx_xcoded[256:5]        -   {align_data[3][65:2],align_data[2][65:10],align_data[2][6:2],align_data[1][65:2],align_data[0][65:2]};

Case 4: DDDC, 3 Data followed by Control

-   -   tx_xcoded[0]=0;    -   tx_xcoded[4:1]={align_data[3][1],align_data[2][1],align_data[1][1],align_data[0][1]};    -   tx_xcoded[256:5]        -   {align_data[3][65:10],align_data[3][6:2],align_data[2][65:2],align_data[1][65:2],align_data[0][65:2]};    -   Invalid control blocks    -   tx_xcoded[0]=0;    -   tx_xcoded[4:1]=4′b1111;    -   tx_xcoded[256:5]        -   {align_data[3][65:2],align_data[2][65:2],align_data[1][65:2],align_data[0][65:10],align_data[0][6:2]};    -   Alignment Marker    -   tx_xcoded[0]=0;    -   tx_xcoded[256:1]={align_data[3][65:2],align_data[2][65:2],align_data[1][65:2],align_data[0][65:2]};

The 257b tx_xcoded data is then scrambled according to the followingequation. The alignment marker code word bypasses the scrambling stage.

-   -   tx_scrambled[256:0]={tx_xcoded[256:5],tx_xcoded[12:8]{circumflex        over ( )}tx_xcoded[4:0]};

In the 40G mode, the 257b data is fed to the BCH Encoder module in 4clocks as 65b data and 1b valid and will follow these rules.

-   -   Cycle 1: Valid is true and data is 65b    -   Cycle 2 to 4: Valid is false and data is 64b        As an example, the data rate after transcoding is given by the        following equation.

${10.312\mspace{14mu}{Gbps} \times 4} = {{41.25\mspace{14mu}{Gbps} \times \frac{64}{66} \times \frac{257}{256}} = {40.15625\mspace{14mu}{Gbps}}}$

The transcoder block will run at 625 Mhz in 40G mode.

In the 100G mode, the entire 257b data is fed to the BCH Encoder moduleand so the data rate after transcoding is given by the followingequation:

${103.125\mspace{14mu}{Gbps} \times \frac{64}{66} \times \frac{257}{256}} = {100.390625\mspace{14mu}{Gbps}}$

For example, the transcoder block runs at 390.625 Mhz in 100G mode.

The transcoder module interface is provided in Table 6 below:

TABLE 6 Transcoder Interface Description Reference Signal Name DirectionWidth Clock Description Datapath interface algn_txd_40g Input 66tx_clk_625m 66b Aligned data used in 4 × 10G or 2 × 20G modealgn_txd_100g Input 264 tx_clk_390m 264b Aligned data used in 4 × 25Gmode tx_mode Input 2 Register clock Rx Mode: 00 - 4 × 10G Mode 01 - 2 ×20G Mode 10 - 4 × 25G Mode algn_am_valid Input 1 rx_clk_625m_x AM Validmarker, which signifies the output data carries the Alignment marker onthe cycle. map_wd_req Input 1 tx_clk_625m Request read operationtrsc_txd_100g Output 257 tx_clk_390m 257b Transcoded data for 100G modetrsc_txd_vld Output 1 tx_clk_625m Valid when true indicates 65b dataelse 64b data in 40G mode trsc_txd_40g Output 65 tx_clk_625m 65bTranscoded data for 40G mode Test Interface tx_scan_mode Input 1 Testclock Scan mode tx_scan_in Input X Test clock Scan in tx_scan_en Input 1Test clock Scan enable trsc_scan_out Output X Test clock Scan outClock/Reset interface tx_clk_625m Input 1 Tx clock, to be used for 40Gtx_clk_390m Input 1 Tx clock, to be used for 100G tx_reset_clk625m_nInput 1 tx_clk_625m Active low reset synchronized to tx_clk_625mtx_reset_clk390m_n Input 1 tx_clk_390m Active low reset synchronized totx_clk_390m

In various embodiments, a PAM-4 BCH encoder is used. The design uses a(n=1440, k=1285, t=14) BCH Encoder and a GF(2¹¹) field. This code uses 1dummy bit to make up for 1440 bits after 154b of parity is added to theincoming message. The selected code is a 9% overhead code, as given bythe following equation.

${4 \times 10.3125\mspace{14mu} G} = {41.25\mspace{14mu} G \times \frac{64}{66} \times \frac{257}{256} \times \frac{1440}{1285}}$

Implementation of PAM-4 module interface is provided in the table 7below.

TABLE 7 PAM-4 Encoder Interface Description Reference Signal NameDirection Width Clock Description Datapath interface trsc_txd_vld Input1 tx_clk_625m Valid when true indicates 65b data else 64b data in 40Gmode trsc_txd_40g Input 65  tx_clk_625m 65b Transcoded data for 40G modep4enc_dummy Input 8 Register clock 8b Dummy bits p4enc_txd_40g Output66  tx_clk_625m 66b BCH Encoded data Test Interface tx_scan_mode Input 1Test clock Scan mode tx_scan_in Input X Test clock Scan in tx_scan_enInput 1 Test clock Scan enable p4enc_scan_out Output X Test clock Scanout Clock/Reset interface tx_clk_625m Input 1 Tx clock, to be used for40G tx_reset_clk625m_n Input 1 tx_clk_625m Active low reset synchronizedto tx_clk_625m

The transcoder 105 additionally provides alignment marker mapping. Forexample, the transcoder outputs the 257b as 1 cycle of 128b followed by1 cycle of 129b and this repeats. In the 100G PAM4 mode, the AlignmentMarker mapping function operates on twenty 66b aligned and reorderedalignment markers. Of the 66b, the 2b synchronization header is strippedand the remaining 64b are mapped as shown in FIG. 10. Five padding bitsare added such that 1 padding bit is added after every four AM markers.This equates to 64*20+5=1285, which is five blocks of 257b.

Because of the dual-lambda transmitter and subsequently receiving 2lanes of 50G PAM4, the transmit data needs to ensure that a 64b AMmarker is not split between the two lanes. This helps achievesynchronization and de-skew of the data across the two lanes. Also, thisimplies that the data leaving the gearbox is two sets of data, each Nbits wide. For example, N is determined based on the implementation. Invarious implementations, the alignment marker mapping of the twentyaligned and reordered alignment markers follow the mapping as shown inFIG. 11.

For example, the mapping function adheres to one or more of thefollowing rules:

-   -   am_tx_0 always appears on lane 0    -   All even numbered indices of am_tx<n> appear on lane 0    -   All odd numbered indices of am_tx<n> appear on lane 1    -   Padding bits, P[4:0], is always the 129^(th) bit    -   fec_prty_0 contains [0:76] and fec_prty_1 contains [77:153] of        the computed fec parity[0:153]    -   Dummy bit, DO, always appears on lane 0

The sum total of all the above bits is 1440(1285 AM+154 Parity+1 dummy),which is the FEC block size.

In the 40G PAM4 mode, the alignment markers includes four 66b alignedmarkers and is treated as all control blocks by the transcoder. Thetranscoder compresses the four 66b alignment marker into one 257b blockas shown in FIG. 12. This is a slight variation to the IEEE 802.3bj/D2.0specification. The variation is to keep the 64b Alignment marker intact.In contrast, certain markers according to the IEEE 802.3bj/D2.0 arediscarded.

In the 40G PAM4 mode, the alignment marker mapping is relativelystraight forward and all four alignment markers appear on lane 0 asshown in FIG. 13. The padding bit, P0, appears on the 129^(th) bit.

According to various implementations, the alignment markers appear onceevery 16384×20×66 bit blocks in 100G Mode and 16384×4×66 bit blocks in40G Mode. Four of the 66b block goes through a 257/256 Transcode. In the100G Mode, the resulting bits are 16384×20×64×257/256, which isequivalent to 16384×5×257, as shown in FIG. 14. This equates to 16384BCH code words with each code word of 1285 bits.

In case of 40G Mode, the resulting bits are 16384×4×64×257/256, which isequivalent to 16384×257. This equates to 3276.8 BCH code words with eachcode word of 1285 bits, which leaves with residual bits to betransmitted after the next alignment marker. There will be four cycleswith residual bits and every 5^(th) cycle, the code words will line upwith no residual bits. The no of residual bits are 257,514,771 and 1028respectively for the 1^(st) to 4^(th) cycle. This is needed to determinewhere the boundary of the BCH code words resides on the receiving side.FIG. 15 shows the residual bits of the code word along with AlignmentMarkers.

Now referring back to FIG. 1. The data from the encoder 107 is providedto the gearbox 108 and 109. The gearbox is required to translate the1440b code words streaming out of the FEC Encoder into two streams of80b for the 100G Mode and one stream of 64b for the 40G mode. As anexample, the baud rates for the two modes is given by the followingequations:

${4 \times 10.3125\mspace{14mu} G} = {{41.25\mspace{14mu} G \times \frac{64}{66} \times \frac{257}{256} \times \frac{1440}{1285}} = {\frac{45\mspace{14mu} G}{2( {{PAM}\; 4} )} = {22.5\mspace{14mu} G}}}$${4 \times 25.78125\mspace{14mu} G} = {{103.125\mspace{14mu} G \times \frac{64}{66} \times \frac{257}{256} \times \frac{1440}{1285}} = {\frac{112.5\mspace{14mu} G}{2( {{Dual}\mspace{14mu}\lambda} )} = {\frac{56.25\mspace{14mu} G}{2( {{PAM}\; 4} )} = {28.125\mspace{14mu} G}}}}$

For example, in the 100G mode, the 1440b is split across two lanes, eachhaving 720b and in the 40G mode, the entire 1440b is transmitted on asingle lane. The stream of data out of the FEC Encoder follows thesequence of 128/129/128/129/128/78 or 129/128/129/128/129/77 split intotwo lanes for the 100G mode and128/129/128/129/128/129/128/129/128/129/78/77 on a single lane for the40G mode. To keep the alignment markers intact on a lane, it would makesense to have two gearboxes, one for each lane in the 100G mode, andenable one in the 40G mode, while disabling the second.

FIG. 16 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an FEC encoder withthe gearboxes according to embodiments of the present invention. Thisdiagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope ofthe claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize manyvariations, alternatives, and modifications.

The Transcoder will outputs alternating cycles of 128b and 129b witham_tx_0/1 lining up to be 128b as the start of Alignment Marker. The FECEncoder will output alternating cycles of 128b and 129b for 4 cycles andon the 5^(th) cycle, the FEC Encoder outputs 206b, which would be128b+78b for Gearbox 0 and 129b+77b for Gearbox 1.

For each Gearbox, FEC encoded data is written in 720b over 5 cycles,while the read at 80b would take 9 cycles in the 100G mode. In the 40Gmode using Gearbox 0 only, data is written in 1440b over 10 cycles,while the read at 80b would take 18 cycles. So looking at both modes ofoperation, the ratio of write to read is 5:9. The write operation, onaverage, is 144b(720/5 or 1440/10) on each cycle.

The gearbox 108 is coupled to the pattern generator 110. FIG. 17 is asimplified diagram illustrating a pattern generator according to anembodiment of the present invention, including flip-flop 1702. Thisdiagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope ofthe claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize manyvariations, alternatives, and modifications. Selector 1702 receivesinput from PRBS generator 1701, square_wave, and cust_pattern, andp4enc_tx_data. Output of selector 1702 is connected to error set masklogic 1703. Selector 1704 selects between the output of selector 1702and inverted output of selector 1702 from the invertor 1707. Output ofthe selector 1704 is connected to the selector 1705, which providesquelch function. Output of selector 1705 is connected to selector 1706,which provides swap function. FIG. 17 further illustrates a flip flop.Among other things, a pattern generator module performs the followingfunctions:

-   -   PRB S Generation of PRB S7, PRB S9, PRB S11, PRB S15, PRB S23        and PRB S31    -   Square Wave Pattern Generation of 16′hFF00    -   Custom Pattern Generation based on 33×64 configured memory    -   IEEE Test patterns like JP03A, JP03B and Quad PRBS13    -   Error Injection using an error mask register (e.g., selector        1703)    -   Transmit Polarity inversion (e.g., selector 1704)    -   Transmit disable feature (e.g., selector 1705)    -   Bit swap feature (e.g., selector 1706)

Among other things, the PRBS generation mode of the pattern generator110 supports the transmission of the following PRBS patterns and itsinverse.

-   -   PRBS7: 1+x⁶+x⁷    -   PRBS9: 1+x⁵+x⁹    -   PRBS11: 1+x⁹+x¹¹    -   PRBS15: 1+x¹⁴+x¹⁵    -   PRBS23: 1+x¹⁸+x²³    -   PRBS31: 1+x²⁸+x³¹

In various embodiments, the PRBS enable, selection and the inversefunctions are user configurable. The output width is designed to be aparameterized one depending on the mode of the chip is running.

Custom Pattern Generation function of the pattern generator supports thetransmission of a Custom Pattern as configured in 33×64b Memory. Forexample, the pattern is written via MDIO as 132 locations of 16b. TheMDIO Write is done as read-modify-write operation into the memory. Onenabling the custom pattern enable bit, the programmed pattern is readout starting with location 0 and incrementing up to 32 and thenrestarting at 0. This pattern is repeated on every 2112b of data untilthe enable bit is cleared. In various implementations, the custompattern enable and the pattern memory are user configurable via MDIO.The memory can also be read out via MDIO.

Square Wave Generation functions is provided to support the transmissionof a square wave pattern defined to be 16′hFF00. The pattern isprogrammed into the low 16b location of address 0 of custom patternmemory. This pattern is read out and repeated until the square waveenable bit is cleared. The square wave enable is user configurable.

IEEE Test Pattern Generation is provided to support the transmission ofJP03A, JP03B and Quad PRBS13 as defined in IEEE 802.3bj Draft 2.1. Forexample, the JP03A Test pattern consists of sending {0,3} symbols in40G-PAM4 mode and 100G-PAM4 mode. This translates to 4b, which iswritten via MDIO into location 0 of custom pattern memory. This patternis read out and repeated until the JP03A enable bit is cleared. TheJP03A enable is user configurable.

The JP03B Test pattern consists of sending 15 {0,3} symbols followed by16 {3,0} in 40G-PAM4 mode and 100G-PAM4 mode. This translates to 124b,which is written via MDIO into location 0, 1 and 2 of custom patternmemory. This pattern is read out and repeated until the JP03B enable bitis cleared. The JP03B enable is user configurable.

The Quad PRB S13 Test pattern, which applies in 40G-PAM4 and 100G-PAM4mode, consists of sending 3 full cycles of 8191 bits followed by 1 cycleof 6523 bits. This translates to 31096 bits repeated. The bits in thefirst and third cycle are non-inverted while bits in the second andfourth cycle are inverted. The PRBS13 is initialized at the end of everycycle. The design includes a 92b wide PRBS to support this feature,following the above rules. This 92b is then translated to 66b output tobe sent out. The Quad PRBS13 enable is user configurable.

Error Injection function supports an Error Injection capability into thetransmit stream using an Error Set Mask register. The Error Set Maskregister is user configurable and will be defined to be the width of thewidest transmit stream. If the Error Set Mask register is cleared, thenno Errors are injected. If the bits of the Error Set Mask register areset to 1, then the corresponding transmit bits are inverted.

Transmit Polarity, Swap and Disable functions are provided to supportpolarity inversion of each transmit bit, swap of each transmit bit andtransmit disable. Each one of the feature is user configurableindependently. In terms of sequence of the configuration, polarity getsapplied first followed by disable and finally swap. This order is fixedin design and cannot be altered.

As an example, an exemplary pattern generator interface is shown in theTable 8 below:

TABLE 8 Pattern Generator Interface Description Reference Signal NameDirection Width Clock Description Datapath interface mreg_prbs_en Input1 Register clock Tx PRBS Enable mreg_prbs_mode Input 3 Register clock 3bPRBS Select, 0 - PRBS31, 1 - PRBS9, 2 - PRBS7, 3 - PRBS11, 4 - PRBS15,5 - PRBS23 mreg_prbs_inv Input 1 Register clock PRBS Invert enablemreg_prbs_ld_init Input 1 Register clock Load PRBS with a init value of1 mreg_sq_wave_en Input 1 Register clock Tx Square Wave Enablemreg_cust_pat_en Input 1 Register clock Tx Custom Pattern Enablemreg_cust_pat_clr_mem Input 1 Register clock Clear Custom pattern memorymreg_cust_pat_wr Input 1 Register clock Write strobe for Custom Patternmemory mreg_cust_pat_rd Input 1 Register clock Read strobe for CustomPattern memory mreg_cust_pat_wraddr Input 8 Register clock Write addressfor Custom pattern memory mreg_cust_pat_rdaddr Input 8 Register clockRead address for Custom pattern memory mreg_cust_pat_wrdata Input 16Register clock Write data for Custom pattern memory mreg_tx_err_mask_enInput 1 Register clock Error Mask enable mreg_tx_err_mask Input 66Register clock 66b Error Set Mask mreg_tx_invert_en Input 1 Registerclock Tx Polarity Inversion Enable mreg_tx_squelch_en Input 1 Registerclock Tx Disable configuration mreg_tx_swap_en Input 1 Register clock Txbit Swap enable mreg_jp03a_en Input 1 Register clock JP03A Enablemreg_jp03b_en Input 1 Register clock JP03B Enable mreg_qprbs13_en Input1 Register clock Quad PRBS13 Enable mreg_tx_mode Input 3 Register clockTx mode p4enc_txd_40g Input 66 tx_clk_625m 66b Tx data p4enc_txd_100gInput 264 tx_clk_625m 264b Tx data pgen_txd_out Output 264 tx_clk_625m66b or 264b Tx Data output pgen_cust_pat_rddata Output 16 tx_clk_625m16b MDIO read data pgen_cust_pat_gap_en Output 1 tx_clk_625m Custompattern gap clock enable Test Interface tx_scan_mode Input 1 Test clockScan mode tx_scan_in Input X Test clock Scan in tx_scan_en Input 1 Testclock Scan enable pgen_scan_out Output X Test clock Scan out Clock/Resetinterface pgen_tx_clk Input 1 Tx clock, to be used for 40Gpgen_tx_gap_clk Input 1 Tx clock, to be used for 40G mreg_clk Input 1Register clock pgen_tx_reset_n Input 1 pgen_tx_clk Active low resetsynchronized to pgen_tx_clk mreg_reset_n Input 1 mreg_clk Active lowreset synchronized to mreg_clk

Now referring back to FIG. 1. The outputs of the gearboxes are coupledto a first MUX 111 and a second MUX 112. The MUXes, among other things,allow the system to select between output of the gearboxes (i.e., actualtranscoded data) and pattern generator (e.g., test data). The PAM Graymaps 113 and 114 are configured to encode the transcoded data fortransmission.

In various embodiments, MDIO/I2C Interface is provided. Theconfiguration and status registers in the design are all accessible via2-pin MDIO or 2-pin I2C interface. Since this IP will reside in aTransmit chip, the design will also provide read/write access to all theconfiguration and status registers in the chip. The I2CSEL pin, whentrue, indicates the access is via I2C interface and when false,indicates the access is via MDIO interface. The MDIO and I2C interfaceare both designed to be slave interface.

In order to figure out the MMD device addresses and from IEEE802.3ba-2010, Annex 83C, 83C.1.2, the design will assign MMD=30 for theIP, and MMD=31 for registers external to IP. The MMD device addressesare

-   -   MMD=1 will be assigned for the Receive chip    -   MMD=30 and 31 for the Transmit chip    -   The PHY address can be the same for both the Rx and Tx chips.

The design incorporates a MDIO Slave protocol state machine, I2C Slaveprotocol state machine, MMD device 30 registers and MMD device 31register interfaces. The block diagram of the MDIO interface block isshown in FIG. 18. This diagram is merely an example, which should notunduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in the artwould recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications. Asshown, MDIO controller 1801 is connected to the IC2 controller 1805.Output of MDIO controller 1801 is connected to selector 1804. Selector1804 output is provided to address decode block 1802, which is connectedto MMD 30 registers 1806 and MMD 31 register interface 1803. FIG. 18further illustrates a plurality of multiplexers 1820.

In an embodiment, the MDIO Controller in FIG. 18 adheres to Clause 45 ofIEEE 802.3 specification and is implemented as a Slave interface runningat the MDC frequency. As an example, FIG. 19 is a simplified diagramillustrating operation of a MIDO controller according to embodiments ofthe present invention. This diagram is merely an example, which shouldnot unduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in theart would recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications.Table 19 provides a description for the process:

TABLE 9 MDIO Controller FSM Description State Description MD_IDLE Thisis the default state of the MDIO Controller FSM. State is entered onreset. MD_PRE Ensure 32 MDC clocks of Preamble are seen before everytransaction. Transition to MD_ST once at least 32 MDC clocks of Preambleis seen, else MD_IDLE. MD_ST Start of MDIO transaction state. Expect tosee 2 MDC clocks of consecutive 0's and then transition to MD_OPC, elseMD_IDLE MD_OPC Opcode transaction state. This is a wait of 2 MDC clocks.MD_PHYA Phy Address state. Wait for 5 MDC clocks and then transition toMD_MMDA if the PhyAddr matches the configured value, else transition toMD_IDLE. MD_MMDA Device Address state. Wait for 5 MDC clocks. On a readtransaction and MMD being either 30 or 31, transition to MD_TARD state.On a write transaction and MMD being either 30 or 31, transition toMD_TAWR state, else transition to MD_IDLE. MD_TARD Read Turn-aroundstate. 2 cycle state. 1^(st) cycle output enable is disabled and 2^(nd)cycle, output enable is enabled and a 0 is driven MD_READ Read datastate. 16 cycle state. Shift out the 16b read data serially. MD_TAWRWrite Turn-around state. 2 cycle state. Expect to see ‘b10 and thentransition to MD_WRIT state, else MD_IDLE MD_WRIT Write data state. 16cycle state. Assert write strobe on the 15^(th) cycle for a writeopcode. Capture address on the 16^(th) cycle for MMD = 30 or 31 andAddress cycle.

In various embodiments, I2C controllers are used. The I2C implementationmaps Clause 45 MDIO transactions onto I2C 16 bit Read and Writeoperations.

-   -   I2C supports Read or Write transactions of an arbitrary number        of bytes, and a 7 bit device address.    -   Clause 45 MDIO is an indirect access method that uses 4        transaction types: Address Write, Data Write, Data Read, and        Data Read Auto-increment. All operate on 16 bits of data (2        bytes).    -   Clause 45 MDIO has hierarchical addressing with both PHY and MMD        address fields

In order to map Clause 45 MDIO functionality onto the I2C bus, I2Cdevice address bits are used to provide transaction type and MMD selectinformation. Note that I2C addresses are customarily shown as rightjustified 8 bit hex number—despite being 7 bits in length. They arelabeled A7 through A1, with A7 being the MSB.

The LS I2C address bit “A1” is used in conjunction with I²C R/˜W bit toindicate transaction type, as shown in Table 10:

TABLE 10 I2C Transaction Mapping R/^(~)W A1 MDIO Transaction Type 0 0Address Write 0 1 Data Write 1 0 Data Read - post read address increment1 1 Data Read

The address bit “A2” is used to select between the two MMDs implementedin the Tx IP:

-   -   A2=0 selects MMD30; A2=1 selects MMD31

The MS 5 address bits “A7-A3” are used to select the device. A7:A3 mustmatch PHYADR4/3/2/1/0. Eight device mappings are available for the TxIP, selected by the PHYADR pins. Each map uses 4 device addresses todifferentiate between transaction types and MMDs. The following tableshows device addresses used by each mapping, as shown in Table 11:

TABLE 11 I2C Address Mapping MMD30 MMD31 Address Data Address Data WriteWrite Write Write or or or or Data Data Data Data PHYADR2:0 Read++ ReadRead++ Read 000 0x00 0x02  0x04  0x06  001 0x08 0x0A 0x0C 0x0E 010 0x100x12  0x14  0x16  011 0x18 0x1A 0x1C 0x1E 100 0x20 0x22  0x24  0x26  1010x28 0x2A 0x2C 0x2E 110 0x30 0x32  0x34  0x36  111 0x38 0x3A 0x3C 0x3E

As an example, the Tx IP is designed to operate with 16 bit (two byte)I²C operations.

-   -   Single byte write operations have no effect.    -   Single Byte Reads will return the MS byte of the addressed        register, but will never cause an address auto-increment.    -   Writes of three or more bytes will complete after the second        byte, subsequent bytes will be ignored.    -   Reads of three or more bytes will complete after the second        byte, subsequent bytes will return 0xFF.

Note that data carried by Tx IP I2C bus transactions is in “Big Endian”(MSB first) format, as in Clause 45 MDIO.

FIGS. 20 and 21 are simplified diagram illustrating I2C write and readsequences according to embodiments of the present invention. The diagrammerely provide an example, which should not unduly limit the scope ofthe claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize manyvariations, alternatives, and modifications.

As an example, I2C timing my operate in one or more modes. In variousembodiments, The Tx IP devices support Standard-mode, Fast-mode andFast-mode Plus I2C timings. The timing of the I2C interface is definedin the I2C-bus specification and user manual (NXP SemiconductorsUM10204).

Note that the I2C State Machine does not use SCL (MDC) as its clock(unlike the MDIO SM which is clocked by MDC). The I2C SM uses thenominally 10 MHz clock (clk_10m) from the clock prescaler as its clock.SCL and SDA are asynchronously sampled using this clock to implement theI2C protocol, and provide glitch suppression.

In various embodiments, MMD 30 Registers are provided. According tovarious implementations, the MMD 30 Registers are allocated for theconfiguration and status information of the registers internal to the TxIP design. An overview of the registers for this particular MMD isspecified in the table 12 below:

TABLE 12 MMD 30 Register Overview Register address Decimal Hex Registername Notes 30.0 30.0000 Device Control 1 30.1 30.0001 Device Status 1Read as zeroes, writes have no effect 30.2, 30.0002- Device identifierTx IP identifier 30.3 30.0003 30.4 30.0004 Reserved Read as zeroes,writes have no effect 30.5, 30.0005- Devices in Package Vendor specificdevice 30.6 30.0006 registers 1 present bits 30.7 30.0007 Reserved Readas zeroes, writes have no effect 30.8 30.0008 Status register 30.9-30.0009- Reserved Read as zeroes, writes 30.13 30.000D have no effect30.14, 30.000E- Package identifier Read as zeroes, writes 30.15 30.000Fhave no effect 30.16- 30.0010- Chip Control and 16 16b registers 30.3130.001F Status 30.32- 30.0020- Pattern Generator 192 16b registers30.223 30.00DF block 30.224- 30.00E0- Protocol Lock and 32 16b registers30.255 30.00FF FIFO blocks 30.256- 30.0100- Transcoder block 32 16bregisters 30.287 30.011F 30.288- 30.0120- BCH Encoder blocks 64 16bregisters 30.351 30.015F 30.352- 30.0160- Mapper blocks 8 16b registers30.359 30.0167 30.360- 30.0168- Channel Training 16 16b registers 30.37530.0177 Registers 30.376- 30.0178- Misc Registers 16 16b registers30.391 30.0187 30.392- 30.0188- Reserved Read as zeroes, writes 30.6553530.FFFF have no effect

As an example, an MMD 31 Register Interface is provided forconfiguration and/or other functions. The MMD 31 Registers are allocatedfor the configuration and status information of the registers externalto the Tx IP design, but within the Tx Chip that includes the Tx IP.These registers are to be implemented outside the IP. The IP willprovide the clock, register address, register read and write strobe andthe register write data. The external block will use these to interfaceto the registers and provide the read data back to the IP as shown FIG.22.

An overview of the registers for the particular MMD is specified in thetable 13:

TABLE 13 MMD 31 Register Overview Register address Decimal Hex Registername Notes 31.0 31.0000 Vendor Specific Device Control 1 31.1 31.0001Reserved Read as zeroes, writes have no effect 31.2, 31.0002, VendorSpecific Tx Chip identifier, 31.3 31.0003 device identifier probablysame as 30.2 and 30.3 31.4 31.0004 Reserved Read as zeroes, writes haveno effect 31.5, 31.0005, Devices in Package Vendor specific device 31.631.0006 registers 2 present bits 31.7 31.0007 Reserved Read as zeroes,writes have no effect 31.8 31.0008 Vendor Specific Status register 31.9-31.0009- Reserved Read as zeroes, writes 31.13 31.000D have no effect31.14, 31.000E- Vendor Specific Read as zeroes, writes 31.15 31.000Fpackage identifier have no effect 31.16- 31.0010- External registers^(~)64k 16b registers 31.65535 31.FFFF

The MDIO/I2C interface is given in the table 14 below:

TABLE 14 MDIO/I2C Interface Description Reference Signal Name DirectionWidth Clock Description Controller interface mic_mdio_in Input 1 mic_mdcMDIO Input data mic_i2csel Input 1 Register clock I2C Select pin, 1-I2Cinterface, 0-MDIO interface mic_mdio_out output 1 mic_mdc MDIO outputdata mic_mdio_out_en Output 1 mic_mdc MDIO output data enablemic_phyaddr Input 5 mic_mdc Phy Address pins mic_extreg_addr Output 16 mic_mdc 16b Register address mic_extreg_wr Output 1 mic_mdc 1b registerwrite mic_extreg_rd Output 1 mic_mdc 1b register read mic_extreg_wrdataOutput 16  mic_mdc 16b register write data mic_extreg_rddata Input 16 mic_mdc 16b register read data mic_control Output N mic_mdc N bitcontrol for IP blocks mic_status Input M mic_mdc M bit status from theIP block Test Interface tx_scan_mode Input 1 Test clock Scan modetx_scan_in Input X Test clock Scan in tx_scan_en Input 1 Test clock Scanenable mic_scan_out Output X Test clock Scan out Clock/Reset interfacemic_mdc Input 1 MDC clock mic_clk10m Input 1 10 Mhz clock for I2Cmic_reset_mdc_n Input 1 mic_mdc Active low reset synchronized to mic_mdcmic_reset_clk10m_n Input 1 mic_clk10m Active low reset synchronized toclk10m

While the above is a full description of the specific embodiments,various modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents may beused. Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not betaken as limiting the scope of the present invention which is defined bythe appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication apparatus operable in 25G, 40G,50G, and 100G modes, the apparatus comprising: a plurality ofcommunication lanes, each of communication lanes being configured toreceive data streams; a plurality of virtual lane lock modulescorresponding to the plurality of communication lanes, the virtual lanelock modules being configured to provide protocol locking at a firstclock rate; a plurality of de-skewing buffers for aligning data streamsof the plurality of communication lanes; a transcoder module beingconfigured to generate alternating data streams from the de-skewed datastream, the transcoder being configured to operate at a second clockrate, the transcoder being operative in two or more modes; an FEC modulebeing configured to encode the alternating data streams to generate afirst encoded data stream and a second encoded data stream at a firstbit size and a first cycle number; and a first gearbox configured toprocess the first encoded data stream at a second bit size and a secondcycle number.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a secondgearbox configured to process the second encoded data stream at thesecond bit size and the second cycle number.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1further comprising a pattern generator coupled to the second gearbox. 4.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transcoder is operative in 40 GbpsPAM-4 mode and 100 Gbps PAM-8 mode.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 whereinthe transcoder processes input in every clock cycle when operating inthe 100 Gbps PAM-8 mode.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein thetranscoder processes input in every four clock cycles when operating inthe 40 Gbps PAM-4 mode.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprisingan alignment module for aligning the received data streams.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of virtual lane lock modulesis configured to provide BIP check.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7 whereinthe alignment module is configured to insert alignment markers atpredetermined locations.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprisinga first MUX device coupled to a first output of a first gearbox.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10 wherein the first MUX device is configured toselect outputs based on at least a PRBS mode.
 12. The apparatus of claim1 wherein the transcoder concatenates a predetermined number of wordsfrom the aligned data stream.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein theplurality of virtual lane locks provides block synchronization.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the alignment module comprising analignment mapper.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality ofvirtual lane locks comprises a finite state machine for providing blocklock.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the finite state machine isconfigured to check a validity status associated with synchronizationheaders.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the finite state machineis further configured to update a count for the synchronization headers.18. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a bit-error-rate monitorcoupled to the de-skewing buffer.
 19. A communication apparatuscomprising: a plurality of virtual lane lock modules configured toprovide protocol locking at a first clock rate based on received datastreams; a plurality of de-skewing buffers for aligning data streams ofthe plurality of communication lanes; a transcoder module beingconfigured to generate alternating data streams from the de-skewed datastream, the transcoder being configured to operate at a second clockrate, the transcoder being operative in two or more modes; an FEC modulebeing configured to encode the alternating data streams to generate afirst encoded data stream and a second encoded data stream at a firstbit size and a first cycle number; a first gearbox configured to processthe first encoded data stream at a second bit size and a second cyclenumber; a second gearbox configured to process the second encoded datastream at the second bit size and the second cycle number; and a patterngenerator coupled to the first gearbox.
 20. A communication apparatuscomprising: a plurality of virtual lane lock modules configured toprovide protocol locking at a first clock rate based on received datastreams; an alignment module being configured to generate an aligneddata stream based on locked streams from the plurality of virtual lanelock modules, the alignment module being configured to operate at asecond clock rate, the aligned data stream comprising a first pluralityof words, the first plurality of words being characterized by a firstword length; a transcoder module being configured to generatealternating data streams based using the aligned data stream, thetranscoder being configured to operate at a third clock rate, thealternating data streams comprising a second plurality of words, thesecond plurality of words being characterized by a second word length,the transcoder being operative in two or more modes; and an FEC modulebeing configured to encode the alternating data streams to generate anencoded data stream at a first bit size; a gearbox configured to processthe encoded data stream at a second bit size; and a pattern generatorcoupled to the gearbox.